- Posts: 5343
- Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:24 am
Mon Sep 09, 2013 2:11 pm
I'll offer my 2 cents, briefly. (edit - not so briefly!)
I agree with coyote that the draft isn't the be all and end all. I also greatly enjoy the post-draft strategizing.
In fact, in some cases, I have had a lot of success with teams where I essentially rebuilt the team after the waiver draft, let alone the autodraft. I've found that in a 12 team league, the most important strategic issues revolve around how well your team is matched up versus your divisional opponents, against whom you play 72 times, or almost 1/2 of your schedule. (This is less true in a 24 team league, where your schedule is more balanced with the other 23 teams). After the waiver draft, I assess the L-R balances of the other divisonal teams, and make adjustments. This works well for me most of the time. In this respect, I really like the bridge analogy, but I would add that it's like a cross between bridge and a poker hand with 2 draws of 3 cards each, where you can see at least some of the cards in the dealer's pile, and you can see all of the other 3 hands. I admit that I do some of the team rebuild at the waiver draft, but even there I am really waiting to see what L-R balance the other divisional rivals are going to employ. Sometimes you don't completely know that till after the waiver draft.
Does that mean that the autodraft isn't important? No, I wouldn't go that far. To a large extent, you are also trying to build a team to suit your ballpark, and that (initially, subject to L-R balance later) has nothing to do with what your division rivals are doing.
Does it make sense to improve the auto-draft process? Absolutely. Why wouldn't you try to do that?
Are some of the complaints valid? Yes, it looks like they are, and improvements should be made. I am confident that strat will address this ultimately, and especially if it's put on a change request list.
Have I found some strategies that work in the auto-draft?
Yes. Here they are:
- Draft based on expected scarcity, first and foremost. IMO, the following is a list of scarcity priorities, from most scarce to least scarce - this list can vary depending on the type of league and salary cap:
1. SS
2. 2B
3. SP's - esp. SP's that are specifically suited to the ballpark you are using - a key point
4. Catcher - ditto SP comment
5. Closer - ditto SP comment
6. DH - ditto ballpark comment plus value for money point - defense is wasted on DH pick
7.. CF
8.. RF
9. 3b
10. LF
11. 1b - there are an awful lot of playable 1b
12. RP's- there are an awful lot of playable RPs
13. (Edit) Platoons vs LHP
14. (Edit) backups
Another key drafting principle - DRAFT THE SMALLER $ PLAYERS THAT ARE YOUR PREFERRED CHOICES FIRST, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE LIST. Why? Because if you miss out on a high dollar player, you'll get another similarly high $ player as a substitute. There is a decent chance that you will be OK with the high $ substitute. Sometimes, the sub is actually BETTER than your original choice, once you look at your divisional rival's L-R balances!!!! If not, you can still spend the big bucks to get a replacement that DOES work for you.
In other words, it's all about the money. If a guy you want has a small salary, pick him first overall, or near the top. The high dollar guys you can replace with more money.
BUT - you say - what about the marquee player that your REALLY REALLY want? I say - great. Pick him first. But be prepared to not get him, because that's the way the cookie crumbles. BUT - you say - what about trying to get 3 marquee players by picking them 1,2 3 in order? My answer is that I almost never try that, and if I do, I am resigned to not getting any of them, even if I try. Is that a copout? Maybe. Maybe the draft system can be improved.
Bottom line though, is, does my system work? Yes, in my experience so far it does, 90% of the time. I'm often picking in the last 3 in the waiver draft, because I usually get most of my autodraft selections. True. No Bull.
Now that can change if everyone did the same thing that I do - and maybe it will change, if people copy this approach. But so far, it works to my satisfaction 90% of the time, for my 25 picks. Some waiver drafts I have gotten 23, 24 or all 25 of my picks. But I usually (almost always?) get over 2/3 of them. (Edit - I checked the last 18 autodrafts that I've had for 12 team leagues (other than keepers and theme leagues) - in 9 of them (half of the 18 autodrafts) my waiver pick was 10th, 11th or 12th, and on average it was the 8th waiver draft pick - indicating that I got well more than the average amount of my autodraft picks).
Do I mind sharing this? No. I'm all about sharing whatever is working.
Will everyone like it? No. Will everyone use it? No. Will it always work? No.
It just works for me so far, 90% of the time.
But like I said, that's just the start. I often tear it down and rebuild it anyway, for the reasons stated above. Just ask my buddies in strat - they'll confirm it. Spider 67, rojoredlegs. They'll tell you how much and how often I tinker with teams before the season starts. My PC 2 team I picked up Miggy after the waivers were done, and changed my team to do that. In PC1, I remodeled my starting pitchers. I have the emails and transactions to show it.
Does this do anything to console the players who missed out on most of their 25 picks? Sadly, no. And yeah, the system is flawed. It can be improved, and maybe needs to be improved. But if you want, try what I'm saying, and see if it works. It works for me. Or come up with a different strategy that works for you. But IMO, trying to get high $ guys in the top 10 spots, especially in descending order of $, is a risky drafting strategy.
I agree with coyote that the draft isn't the be all and end all. I also greatly enjoy the post-draft strategizing.
In fact, in some cases, I have had a lot of success with teams where I essentially rebuilt the team after the waiver draft, let alone the autodraft. I've found that in a 12 team league, the most important strategic issues revolve around how well your team is matched up versus your divisional opponents, against whom you play 72 times, or almost 1/2 of your schedule. (This is less true in a 24 team league, where your schedule is more balanced with the other 23 teams). After the waiver draft, I assess the L-R balances of the other divisonal teams, and make adjustments. This works well for me most of the time. In this respect, I really like the bridge analogy, but I would add that it's like a cross between bridge and a poker hand with 2 draws of 3 cards each, where you can see at least some of the cards in the dealer's pile, and you can see all of the other 3 hands. I admit that I do some of the team rebuild at the waiver draft, but even there I am really waiting to see what L-R balance the other divisional rivals are going to employ. Sometimes you don't completely know that till after the waiver draft.
Does that mean that the autodraft isn't important? No, I wouldn't go that far. To a large extent, you are also trying to build a team to suit your ballpark, and that (initially, subject to L-R balance later) has nothing to do with what your division rivals are doing.
Does it make sense to improve the auto-draft process? Absolutely. Why wouldn't you try to do that?
Are some of the complaints valid? Yes, it looks like they are, and improvements should be made. I am confident that strat will address this ultimately, and especially if it's put on a change request list.
Have I found some strategies that work in the auto-draft?
Yes. Here they are:
- Draft based on expected scarcity, first and foremost. IMO, the following is a list of scarcity priorities, from most scarce to least scarce - this list can vary depending on the type of league and salary cap:
1. SS
2. 2B
3. SP's - esp. SP's that are specifically suited to the ballpark you are using - a key point
4. Catcher - ditto SP comment
5. Closer - ditto SP comment
6. DH - ditto ballpark comment plus value for money point - defense is wasted on DH pick
7.. CF
8.. RF
9. 3b
10. LF
11. 1b - there are an awful lot of playable 1b
12. RP's- there are an awful lot of playable RPs
13. (Edit) Platoons vs LHP
14. (Edit) backups
Another key drafting principle - DRAFT THE SMALLER $ PLAYERS THAT ARE YOUR PREFERRED CHOICES FIRST, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE LIST. Why? Because if you miss out on a high dollar player, you'll get another similarly high $ player as a substitute. There is a decent chance that you will be OK with the high $ substitute. Sometimes, the sub is actually BETTER than your original choice, once you look at your divisional rival's L-R balances!!!! If not, you can still spend the big bucks to get a replacement that DOES work for you.
In other words, it's all about the money. If a guy you want has a small salary, pick him first overall, or near the top. The high dollar guys you can replace with more money.
BUT - you say - what about the marquee player that your REALLY REALLY want? I say - great. Pick him first. But be prepared to not get him, because that's the way the cookie crumbles. BUT - you say - what about trying to get 3 marquee players by picking them 1,2 3 in order? My answer is that I almost never try that, and if I do, I am resigned to not getting any of them, even if I try. Is that a copout? Maybe. Maybe the draft system can be improved.
Bottom line though, is, does my system work? Yes, in my experience so far it does, 90% of the time. I'm often picking in the last 3 in the waiver draft, because I usually get most of my autodraft selections. True. No Bull.
Now that can change if everyone did the same thing that I do - and maybe it will change, if people copy this approach. But so far, it works to my satisfaction 90% of the time, for my 25 picks. Some waiver drafts I have gotten 23, 24 or all 25 of my picks. But I usually (almost always?) get over 2/3 of them. (Edit - I checked the last 18 autodrafts that I've had for 12 team leagues (other than keepers and theme leagues) - in 9 of them (half of the 18 autodrafts) my waiver pick was 10th, 11th or 12th, and on average it was the 8th waiver draft pick - indicating that I got well more than the average amount of my autodraft picks).
Do I mind sharing this? No. I'm all about sharing whatever is working.
Will everyone like it? No. Will everyone use it? No. Will it always work? No.
It just works for me so far, 90% of the time.
But like I said, that's just the start. I often tear it down and rebuild it anyway, for the reasons stated above. Just ask my buddies in strat - they'll confirm it. Spider 67, rojoredlegs. They'll tell you how much and how often I tinker with teams before the season starts. My PC 2 team I picked up Miggy after the waivers were done, and changed my team to do that. In PC1, I remodeled my starting pitchers. I have the emails and transactions to show it.
Does this do anything to console the players who missed out on most of their 25 picks? Sadly, no. And yeah, the system is flawed. It can be improved, and maybe needs to be improved. But if you want, try what I'm saying, and see if it works. It works for me. Or come up with a different strategy that works for you. But IMO, trying to get high $ guys in the top 10 spots, especially in descending order of $, is a risky drafting strategy.
Last edited by gbrookes on Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
